Our last full day in Costa Rica began with beautiful sunshine and a breakfast by the ocean. Due to our late arrival and the rain the night before, we hadn't really gotten to see much of the beach until morning. We planned to meet late in the morning so that everyone could relax or sleep in as they chose. Some took advantage of the air conditioned room and slept in, while others had an early breakfast and went for a walk on the beach.
The hotel dining room is an open room with beautiful views of the ocean and we all enjoyed listening to the waves as we ate breakfast. After breakfast, most of us decided to spend the morning taking an Aerial Tram Tour of a nearby rainforest while a few of us decided to stay behind and relax by the ocean.
We arrived at the rainforest and were met by our guide, Hugo, who first took us took us on an hour long walking tour around the gardens and the serpentarium. We were all especially impressed by the medicine garden and all it had to offer. At the serpentarium Hugo explained how to tell the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous snakes and about ehd ifferent varieties of snakes that are indigenous to Costa Rica. We then walked around and saw a variety of snakes in cages, including a boa constrictor whom we had fun teasing.
After the walking tour we split into two groups and went up into the rainforest on gondolas for the aerial tour. On the way up the cars hung lower into the rainforest, allowing us to see up close the trees, plants, and animals there (one group saw a sloth, one group a monkey, and both groups many spiders and birds). Our guides were wonderful, stopping the gondolas several times to allow us longer and more detailed looks at things. On the way down the cars hung up higher giving us spectacular views out over the forest to the ocean.
After a late lunch at the restaurant we had eaten at the night before (it was so good we just had to go back) we went back to the hotel to enjoy the beach and the hotel pool. A few of us braved the waves and went out into the ocean, though none of us was brave enough to try surfing. We went to dinner at one of the popular local restaurants where we sampled delicious seafood and Costa Rican dishes before heading across the street to TCBY for dessert.
We also socialized with members of a youth group from the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Columbia, South Carolina. Although not technically from NORTH Carolina, Trinity is participating in our companion diocese relationship with the Diocese of Costa Rica. This particular group had been working during the week at the Diocesan House, and will eventually be building a new school in Heredia, near San Jose.
We shared Compline together when we got back to the hotel before going to bed.
We woke in the morning and had breakfast, enjoying our last hours at the gorgeous beach before reluctantly packing and boarding the bus for the final time. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time, said goodbye to our magnificent driver Marvin, and checked in before heading to our gate. We did some last minute shopping before having lunch and watching the Argentina-Mexico soccer match in the waiting area at the gate.
Overall it was a wonderful trip and touched us deeply. I know personally, having been on the last trip in February, I felt that I knew what to expect from the week, but from the moment we arrived I found myself constantly surprised and awakened by new experiences and insights. I feel incredibly blessed and grateful to have had the opportunity to visit this wonderful community and country not once, but twice. I hope that through this blog we have been able to convey to all of you, at least a little bit, how much these trips and the community and people of Estrada mean to all of us.
See you all again in February.
written by Katharine Vess
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